Wheel-guard.



' PATENTED JULY 24, 1906.

E. P. GRALEY.

WHEEL GUARD. APPLICATION FILED AP'R.30,190'6.

1w: NORRIS PETERS co., WASHINGTON, D c

EDMUND I. ORALEY, OF MoKEESPOItT, PENNSYLVANIA.

WHEEL-GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 24, 1906.

Application filed April 30,1906. Serial No. 314.345.

Ta all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDMUND P. CRALEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mo- Keesport, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wheel- Guards, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accom anying drawings.

T e object of this invention is to provide a wheel-guard of improved construction which extends from the brake-beam nearly to the track and is curved backwardly beneath the wheel as far as practicable without interferin with the tread of the wheel on the rail. Wien thus constructed, the guard operates to push forward any object that may be on the track, and the backwardly-curved lower ortion of the guard renders it quite impossiidle for any portion of the body of a person struck by the guard to get between the wheel and track. I

The invention iS embodied in a guard which is combined and preferably formed integral with the brake-shoe holder, and hence is always in lace and in close proximity to the fivheel anrftraok without interfering therewit In the accompanying drawin s, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wheel an a portion of the brake mechanism equipped with my imrovement. Fig. 2 is a front view. Fig. 3 1s a sectional view taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates the brake-beam; 3, the brake-shoe holder carried by the end of the beam; 4, the hanger, and 5 the brake-shoe, here shown detachably secured to holder 3 by key 6. The brakebeam, the hanger, the brake-shoe and the means for connecting it with the shoe-holder,

and the up er portion of said holder may be of the usua or any preferred form, as my invention does not pertain to the construction of said parts.

Depending from shoe-holder 3 and here shown formed integral therewith is guard 7, which extends into close proximity to rail 8,

there being only sufficient clearance to avoid interference under operative conditions. The rear edge 7 of the guard is of concave form and is arranged as close as is practicable to the wheel-tread, this formation extending downward and backward as far as may be to form the rear extension 7" of the guard, thereby practically closing the space on the track overhung by the front of the wheel and rendering it quite impossible for an object to enter between the wheel and guard.

The front of the guard o erates as a pusher for any object which may e obstructing the track and prevents the wheel from engaging the same or running thereover. The guard is strong and durable from the fact that it forms a downward continuation of the holder and, furthermore, is securely sustained by the beam or shoe-holder hanger.

I claim- 1. The combination of a brake-shoe holder, and a downward extension for the holder positioned in front of the wheel and reaching nearly to the track.

2. A brake-shoe holder formed with a downward and rearward extension of such form as to approximately fill the s ace above the track overhung by the front 0 the wheel.

3. The combination of a brake-shoe holder formed with a downward and rearward extension lying close to the track and to the overhanging portion of the wheel, a sup ort for the holder, and a brake-shoe secure to the holder.

4E. The combination of a brake-beam, a shoe-holder at the end thereof, the holder having a downward and backward extension which approximately fills the space between the track and overhanging portion of the wheel, a brake-shoe secured to the holder, and a hanger.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDMUND P. ORALEY. Witnesses J. M. NESBIT, MARGARET HUGHES. 

